As luck would have it, I'm receiving my new black on black 2005 E55 exactly on my birthday this year. I cannot wait. I have a few questions and I was pretty sure that the forum would have feedback.

1) I'm looking to have the K40 internal radar detector installed. Any recommendations or alternatives suggested?
2) How secure is the MB E55? I'm originally from South Africa where everyone has fuel pump kill/start switches hidden in their cars. Is such a thing necessary in California?
3) I assume the rims come with a special key to unlock one of the nuts?
4) Are there any aftermarket ways to connect my IPOD to the factory installed stereo?
5) How many miles to I have to drive this car responsibly before I can open her up? For my 4-Runner it was 2000 miles at 55. The hardest 2000 miles I ever did, but the car still to this day will not die and I attribute a lot to that initial startup.
6) Someone mentioned something about different seat inserts? What is this?
7) Any other recommendations by other forum members of what I should consider?

I want to take care of this type of homework now so when I take delivery I can just enjoy the car.

Thanks,
Gareth

 

Gareth,

Welcome to the MBWORLD forums, you have come to the right place for your answer search.

1) I am unsure of your experience with K40, however, many members of this board use Valentine 1 radar detector (Valentineone.com) and are quite pleased with the results. It has arrows pointing the direction of the threat. And if you are looking for a stealth install, Valentine makes a concealed display module. And if you are wanting to be unseen totally, you can have the Valentine one display etched into the rear view mirror.

2) If you mean secure, in the sense of getting stolen or not, any Mercedes is just about the most secure car you can buy. With laser key technology the car does not use a regular key to start the car. Furthermore, there is even a keyless go option which allows you to start the car with the push of a button, while the key remains in your pocket.

3)As far as I know there is a llugnut key in the spare tire area to unlock the rims, however, most members never have problems with theft of wheels and some members have switched to aftermarket wheels costing thousands of dollars more than the stock setup.

4)You can setup your IPOD very cleanly in your car through Mercedes AUX or Auxillary switch, which is also relatively cheap.

5)They say the proper break-in procedure is 1000 miles under 85 mph and 4,000 rpm. Most members adhere to this and have no problem.

6)I dont know about this.

7)Some members opt to change out the US Comand headunit for the European one because the Euro Comand has the ability to play DVD's. This is an aftermarket solution not available at your dealer, however, the Euro Comand is still OEM Mercedes parts.

You will be surprised at the jaw-dropping power of this car that can haul or entire family and all their belongings.

 

Hussein,
If the Valentine 1 is "mirror etched" does this mean that the arrows appear as a hologram inside the mirror similar to those who have tv's in their rear view mirrors? I've seen this before but as decorations in a house, not on a mirror. If it means to simply have the smaller heads-up unit of the Valentine 1 mounted on your mirror as opposed to the whole device thats ok too. Second, if the display is mirror etched, where does the detector itself go? Is it integrated into the front and rear bumpers? If anyone has pictures of a "mirror etched" Valentine 1 I would greatly appreciate it if you posted them. Thanks!

 

Thanks Hussain for your quick reply. 2 things.

1) I just spoke with Valentine and they said that the radar detecting unit has to sit on the windshield or with the visor. What they offer is a display that can sit down below the windshield level so you can see the arrows blink down lower where anyone outside your car could not see. Looks like a great unit, I just wish they could hide it better than that. K40 is internal with detectors on the front and rear bumpers, and the lights install into the dash or wherever you want them. But it seems a little less reliable than Valentine and the price tag is neary 4 times as much.

4) Is the AUX switch easy to install, or does it come standard with the car?

7) Where would I get my hands on the European head unit? Easy to install or should I have someone else do it?

Thanks,
Gareth

 

This guy, Jim Powell, used to do the InvisiMirror V1 display. http://apexcone.com/tech_invisimirror.html

Not sure if he is still doing it, you might shoot him an email

 

Eleanor Owner:

Yes, it appears as a hologram type image. I am not 100% certain on the location of the detector, but I have heard of installing it below the rear shelf, similar to the stealth Sirius satellite radio install. Valentine One also offers a second display only unit that is much smaller to mount in your ashtray or steering wheel, etc...

gmdebruyn:

1) The second display is a Valentine sold product, however, the Mirror Etch display is aftermarket. Many people also purchase Lidatek Laser Jammers to mount in the front and rear of the car whose sole purpose is to "jam laser" while Valentine detects all bands, once laser is detected there is little or no time to react and you are busted. Hence, the need for a laser jammer.

4) Mercedes comes with the auxillary switch, all you have to do is install your ipod, do a search for this.

7) The European headunit is available from Steve (MBenzNL) (www.mbenznl.com) for $1500 swaped with your US headunit or $1200 from MB Doctor (www.mbdoctor.com). I have heard numerous good things about Steve and I have never heard anything of MB Doctor. I have yet to deal with either. Both suppliers also sell other goodies for your Benz such as Euro Impact Strips a very popular item designed to hide your yellow side reflectors. From what I understand, it is a plug and play install, and there are no major tools or wiring needed. I am not very handy when it comes to electronics, or I just dont want to mess anything up, but I think I can manage to install the Euro Comand myself when it comes time for me to get one.

Attached are pictures of Valentine One's second display unit and a picture of what an etched display looks like for Valentine One (aftermarket).

 

My mirror etched V1 is similiar to above, but just on the stock mirror and on the left side. T-Bone has posted picks of mine here before (one of these days i'll get into this century and figure out how to post pics). My V1 is mounted under the rear deck lid and I see very little degradation. I love this approach, but it does not come cheap.

 

Here is cte430's Valentine 1 rearview mirror display:

 

I'm a long-time V1 user (using a hardwired system with remote display). IIRC, Valentine is very specific about mounting the detector unit on the windshield in such a way that it has unobstructed front & rear views - thus insuring that the directional features work properly.

I'm a bit concerned that mounting the unit in an alternate, concealed location (e.g., under the rear decklid) might compromise its performance. This is hard to quantify, because the under decklid install may register signals just fine, but could a windshield mount offer earlier warning? I doubt any scientific comparisons have been done, but my gut feeling is to stick with what I know works - mount the V1 on the windshield, your choice as to whether or not to use the remote display.

My dealer wanted $2K for a k40 install, plus front & rear Lidatek jammers. I'm staying with the V1.

 

That looks like a AI Design install in NY. Chris and Matt have a great install on the V1 being etched.

 

Those etched mirrors are awesome! Does anyone have some contact info on where I can get that done (closer to philly the better)

TIA

--David

 

Ai Design
64 Marbledale Rd
Tuckahoe, NY 10707
914.779.9000

 

T-bone, your mirror is perfect. First, where in the world did you get that and where can I get one in LA? Second, what is the rear decklid? Is it just the trunk? I have a decklid spoiler mounted on my car, is it that? Furthermore, if it is mounted on the trunk/trunk area, how does the detector get the frontward view to detect oncoming radars/lasers? Nice setup and thanks for the pics!

 

I wish it were mine, but it's actually cte430's mirror. I just posted the picture for him. The rear decklid is the area behind the backseats. It's where the headrests lay on.

 

t-bone, thanks does anyone have a photo of Chris' rear decklid mounting of the V1?

Thanks in advance!

 

Thanks for the clarification. Think I'd call that the rear window shelf. I associate "rear decklid" with the trunk lid. Does it have an unobstructed front & rear view? Pictures would be helpful. Just concerned that sensitivity may be compromised by mounting it in that location.

 

No, I had it installed at Technik 1 in NYC. I spoke to AI, as well as a place in Lodi NJ who also seemed up to the job. Was very happy with Gus and Technik 1.

 

LOL, T-Bone it seems as though you are my representative. If anyone has any questions for me please ask T-Bone I wish I had a pic of the actual V1 installed, but I do not. Hey, I wonder if it's really there?! I'll look into it (T-Bone, get busy) and see if I can get a pic.

 

Cte, as I said, your mirror is just what I'm looking for. Did you have the etching done custom or did you buy a custom mirror. I was curious because thats an OEM mirror as opposed to one that someone else posted earlier on this thread. Thanks

 

That is the stock mirror, and what is really slick is that you'll notice the on/off knob of the v1 is integrated into the reading lamp, and yes the lamp still works. In case you're wondering cost of the V1, lidatek laser jammer, and install was $3,700

 

WoW! $3700! It would take a lot of tickets and higher insurance premiums to break even at that cost! But damn...it looks great!

So how is the performance of this setup? Any feed back from ones using this $3700 unit?

Nick

 

Yeah, $3,700 is a lot but at some of the speeds I've hit (156 on an open road a few weeks back) I have a lot more to worry about than the cost of the ticket! It works very well. concealing the V1 may reduce it's effectiviness, but I haven't noticed it. Besides, your eyes and common sense should still be a big part of your defense.

One added bonus I did not know about. Was sitting at a stop light in heavy traffic and about 10 ft. from 2 motorcycle cops. The V1 was off. They must have been practicing because as I'm sitting there one cop aims right at me and the lidatek went nuts! The cops kinda stared at each other, trying to figure out what was going on. It was priceless! Fortunately, the light turned green and I was on my way.

 

Haha, awesome story. I wish I coulda seen the looks on their faces....

 

cte,

any chance you can take a pic of where your V1 is mounted so some of us can put ours there too? i'm curious to see how it is attached physically to that area of the car. also curious to see where your guy tapped into a power source, but thats not that hard to do.

thanks,
Gareth

 

Oh yeah, one more thing. I was over at BERGwerks today and I spoke to a gm there. He knows benz's in and out and told me that W211 windshields have metallic layers in em but they also have "pockets" where there is no metallic tint in certain areas designed spicifically for radar detectors. Anyone else hear of this or know where the pockets are? I'm thinking of mounting the radar on my rear window and then getting a mirror like CTE430's